Litto Gomez, of La Flor Dominicana, is an innovator. His products are unique and exciting. Unlike some of the top blenders today, you would be hard pressed to try to categorize his line of cigars. Some are mild and creamy like the Premium Line, some are rich and nutty like his Reserva line and then there are the Ligeros and Double Ligeros – some of the strongest and most flavorful cigars on the market. (Please check out my Manufacturer Spotlight on La Flor here).

Senor Litto Gomez

Litto is easily one of the top 3 blenders making cigars today. His limited editions and small-batch cigars are always unique, different and down-right tasty!

I had the privilege to correspond with Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana a couple of weeks back. I had e-mailed him to inquire over a few more details to his new El Museo charity cigar. I also asked if I could shoot him a couple of questions for my blog and he graciously agreed.

Zen: Senor Gomez, thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. What brought you into the cigar business?

Litto Gomez: When you don’t have a formal education or a rich father you have to make your own path in life, in the process you find yourself at crossroads, then you make your decision on which direction you are going to go.

I made the decision to get in the cigar industry without any analysis of what I was getting into. It made no sense to anybody our chances of failure were about 99.9999999%, but something almost magic happened… I just happen to [have] fallen in love with tobacco and everything involved in what I was doing. The rest is history.

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Here’s the second installment of my new Q&A section that I am very excited about. This interview is with our fellow BOTL Willy Herrera from El Titan de Bronze, an excellent boutique in Little Havana, Miami.

Zen: Can you tell us why the name “El Titan de Bronze”?

El Titan de Bronze: El Titan De Bronze was a nick name given to Antonio Maceo, a General from Cuba, that fought against Spain. He was given this name for his bravery and bronze skin color. So that being said, we chose this name for the company because it is different from all the other companies out there.

Zen: What is your favorite size in one of your lines?

ETdB: My favorite size would have to be the robusto and coronita in the Redemption line.

Zen: What qualities do you think makes a memorable cigar?

ETdB: What makes a cigar memorable would be one that doesn’t start off bitter, nice draw, and flavor profiles change as you smoke the cigar to the end.

Zen:What do you think you and El Titan de Bronze can bring to the cigar industry?

ETdB: What I think we bring to the industry is that we are small located in Little Havana , Miami where we solely produce all of our cigars here locally, and haven’t forgotten where we came from.

Zen: What is one cigar, other than your own, that you also like to smoke (if any)?

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This is the first of a new section to the blog I am very excited about. I thought it would be great to get to know better the creators of some of our favorite cigars.

Mr. Luis Molina of Molina Cigar Company who makes the Devil’s Weed Cigar graciously agreed to be my first guest. Mr. Molina, thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions.

Zen: What got you into the cigar business?

Luis Molina: I smoked my first cigar when I was 16. I instantly fell in love with the handmade cigar and its history. After college I worked part-time in a cigar shop thinking it would be temporary, but after a month, I made a personal commitment to make a career in the cigar industry as I could not see myself doing anything else.

Zen:What is your favorite size in your line?

LM: I love the Queen Bess, our churchill.

Zen:What qualities do you look for in a cigar?

LM: For me, all cigars have to be clean. I like mild to very strong depending on my mood, but I do not want a cigar to leave a bitter and harsh finish.

Zen:What do you think Devil’s Weed and Molina Cigar Company can bring to the cigar industry?

LM: I simply want to spread my intense passion for this industry to all smokers and non-smokers alike. I love the history and the romance of the handmade cigar and that is why we chose the name Devil’s Weed. Using an ironic device, it is an homage to an historical reference regarding tobacco and it is a tribute to its history during the turbulent times and its glory days.

Zen:What is one cigar, other than your own, that you also like to smoke (if any)?

LM: I love smoking my fellow peers’ cigars so to pick one other than my own is difficult. There are so many that are incredible. I just smoked a La Aurora Cien Anos Torpedo that was aged over 2 years that was so rich yet clean. I was blown away actually and it was quite tasty. I love Cabaiguan, Liga Privada, Davidoff and VSG as well.

Zen:Do you have anything new up your sleeve for 2008-2009?

LM: We are adding a few more sizes to our Devil’s Weed Cabinet Selection (which includes a true “delicados extra” or lancero as it is commonly known now) and we are working on our next Devil’s Weed line which will be a more full-bodied cigar in the medium-to-strong category.

Thanks again to Mr. Molina. I look forward to more from Molina Cigar Company and Devil’s Weed!